Content Area(s): Life Science Topic: Violent Behavior Short description: Dr. Montag and researchers from the University of Bonn studied the brain activity of heavy gamers and non-gamers by showing them photos of accident and disaster victims. The study found that heavy gamers showed differences in the ways they controlled their aggressive behavior
Claim: People who play violent video games may have different brain activity than non-gamers.
Keywords: aggressive behavior, video games Difficulty of Concept: Hard
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: cognitive script
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Counterarguments Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of counterarguments before playing the scenario about playing violent video games in the Reason Racer game. A counterargument is generally thought to be a statement that challenges a claim or a statement of an alternative claim. It is a component of scientific argumentation that is based on evidence, data, theory or reasoning. It requires students to analyze information given in support of a claim when making a decision about accepting or rejecting that claim. Before playing the game, students could be given a set of information and asked to work in a small group to make a claim based on that evidence. They could then present their claims to the entire class to see how different groups used the same information to create different claims. Link to Game Introduction Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8d7Slnyao
Full Text of Article:
For years, people have wondered whether playing violent video games has an effect on the player. Does playing violent video games cause violent behavior in real life? Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany studied the brain activity of heavy gamers and non-gamers to look at this question.
Dr. Christian Montag and his team studied 21 people age 20 to 30 who played video games about 15 hours per week. There was also a group of 19 people the same age who did not play violent video games. The researchers showed them pictures of real accident victims as well as images of video game violence. At the same time, the researchers monitored them using a brain scanner.
Both groups of people responded to the photos with strong emotions, according to the brain scanners. But the video gamers showed less fear and less aggression than the non-gamers. Also, the gamers had more activity in areas of the brain associated with memory, which suggests that they were remembering playing violent games. "First-person shooters do not respond as strongly to the real, negative image material because they are used to it from their daily computer activities," Montag concluded. "One might say that they are more desensitized than the control group."
This study doesn't show whether the violent video games caused the difference in brain activity, or if people with different brains become video game players. Both groups had similar scores on personality tests, which suggested to the researchers that it was the games that made their brains different.
Title: Violent Video Games and Violent Behavior
Content Area(s): Life ScienceTopic: Violent Behavior
Short description: Dr. Montag and researchers from the University of Bonn studied the brain activity of heavy gamers and non-gamers by showing them photos of accident and disaster victims. The study found that heavy gamers showed differences in the ways they controlled their aggressive behavior
Claim: People who play violent video games may have different brain activity than non-gamers.
Keywords: aggressive behavior, video games
Difficulty of Concept: Hard
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 50.1Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.8
Lexile: 1170
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ETS1 Engineering DesignMS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: cognitive script
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Counterarguments
Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of counterarguments before playing the scenario about playing violent video games in the Reason Racer game. A counterargument is generally thought to be a statement that challenges a claim or a statement of an alternative claim. It is a component of scientific argumentation that is based on evidence, data, theory or reasoning. It requires students to analyze information given in support of a claim when making a decision about accepting or rejecting that claim. Before playing the game, students could be given a set of information and asked to work in a small group to make a claim based on that evidence. They could then present their claims to the entire class to see how different groups used the same information to create different claims.
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8d7Slnyao
Full Text of Article:
For years, people have wondered whether playing violent video games has an effect on the player. Does playing violent video games cause violent behavior in real life? Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany studied the brain activity of heavy gamers and non-gamers to look at this question.Dr. Christian Montag and his team studied 21 people age 20 to 30 who played video games about 15 hours per week. There was also a group of 19 people the same age who did not play violent video games. The researchers showed them pictures of real accident victims as well as images of video game violence. At the same time, the researchers monitored them using a brain scanner.
Both groups of people responded to the photos with strong emotions, according to the brain scanners. But the video gamers showed less fear and less aggression than the non-gamers. Also, the gamers had more activity in areas of the brain associated with memory, which suggests that they were remembering playing violent games. "First-person shooters do not respond as strongly to the real, negative image material because they are used to it from their daily computer activities," Montag concluded. "One might say that they are more desensitized than the control group."
This study doesn't show whether the violent video games caused the difference in brain activity, or if people with different brains become video game players. Both groups had similar scores on personality tests, which suggested to the researchers that it was the games that made their brains different.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Kathy Carlsen